Work of Art

Congregation

Created

2003–2008

Artist

Nationality

South African

Birth/Death

1971-

Dimensions

277 separate elements (dimensions variable)

Medium

and steel bar, Concrete, recycled motor oil, Sculpture

Credit

Purchased with funds from the North Carolina Museum of Art Docents

Object Number

2010.2/1-277

Culture

Classification

Sculpture

Department

Modern

Key Ideas

Ledelle Moe is a contemporary sculptor from South Africa. She creates large, hollow sculptures of human heads and figures. Her artwork explores how people experience both strength and vulnerability.
This installation is made up of many small sculptures. They may look alike from far away, but each face was carved by hand and is one of a kind. The colors and textures reflect the sand and other local materials Moe used while traveling and creating the work.
Moe sculpted one new head each day as part of her artistic process. Displayed together as one work of art, the sculptures trace her journey through different places. They also explore ideas about identity, connection, and community.

Learn More

From a distance the carved faces in Congregation may appear similar. A closer look shows that each head has its own features, colors, and textures. Artist Ledelle Moe made every sculpture by hand using concrete, dirt, and other materials collected where she worked. Some of the heads include sand from the NCMA grounds.

Perhaps the very act of taking dirt and including it in these works was a momentary act of appropriation of the land and soil, for by including it in the work I take it, I replace it.

Ledelle Moe

Moe created one new head each day while traveling through South Africa and the United States. The growing collection gradually became a record of the places she visited and the materials she found there. Each head connects to a moment in her artistic process while also contributing to the larger installation.

Each sculpted head is about the size of a fist and has a weathered surface. Together the 277 sculptures in Congregation form a single work of art that brings many individual pieces into one group. The arrangement highlights the relationship between each unique sculpture and the collection as a whole.

Making Congregation was a way of making sense of the space around me.

Ledelle Moe

Moe also created two outdoor sculptures in the Museum Park: Collapse I and Untitled. Like Congregation, these large, hollow sculptures use the same materials but show the human figure at a different scale. These works show how Moe uses medium, texture, and form to create different experiences for viewers.